Cooling system for internal-combustion engines



COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Fil pr l 19. 1920Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRED E. ASELTINE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed April 19, 1920. Serial No. 375.088.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED E. Assume, a citizen of the United States, andaresident of Detroit, county of Wayne, and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Systems forInternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear,con cise, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which the invention relates to make and use the same,reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to internal combustion engines adapted for use withautomobiles and similar self-propelled vehicles for driving the same,and particularly to the cooling systems of such engines whereby thewater or equivalent cooling liquid which cools the engine is itselfcooled by means of a suitable radiator through which it circulates afterpassing through the cooling jacket space of the engine.

The principal object of my invention is to provide improved means forautomatically regulating the flow of cooling liquid throughout thecooling system of the engine: the re ulating means in question acting tothrott e the flow of cooling liquid when the temperature thereof tendsto become too low, and to permit a more free flow of the cooling liquidwhen the temperature thereof tends to rise.

A furtherv object of my invention is to provide an improved coolingsystem of the type above referred to wherein the temperature of thecooling liquid is maintained substantially constant when the device isin use; the said end being attained by means of a thermostaticallycontrolled throttle valve which acts to throttle the flow of coolingliquid when the temperature-tends to fall, andto permit a more free flowof the said cooling liquid when the temperature rises. whereby asubstantially uniform temperature is maintained when the engine is inoperation and the engine is caused to operate at the predeterminedtemperature at which it will operate the most efliciently.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the followingdescription thereof, and from the drawing accompanying and forming apart of this specific tion; it being appreciated, however, that whilethe form thereof illustrated and described is the preferred form of myinvention the same may be variously modified without departingtherefrom; the distinguishing features of the said invention being setforth at length in the concluding claims.

Referring now to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view showing the engine and radiator of the power plant ofa motor driven vehicle in side elevation, and the connection of myinvention therewith.

Figure 2 is a view upon an enlarged scale showing a section upon atransverse plane indicated by the line 2--2, Figure 1 Figure 3 is a viewshowing the flow regulating mechanism of my invention in side elevation,with the cover removed to better show the thermostat thereof.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 4 designates an internalcombustion engine having the usual jacket space through which a streamof cooling liquid is made to flow by means of a pump 5 which derives itssupply from the lower water chamber 6 of a radiator of any form or type,the pump and the said water chamber being connected with one anotherthrough a conduit 7 The upper water chamber 8 of the radiator-is placedin communication with a manifold 9 secured to the upper end of theengine through and by means of a conduit 10, Within which conduit athermostatically controlled throttle valve which is included in andforms a part of my invention is located; the said valve being shown asan oscillating valve 11 carried by a shaft 12 the ends of which aresupported in bearings 13, 13 formed in the side wall of the conduit 10.The valve 11. is preferably contained within and forms a part of aunitary hollow valve casing or fitting provided for it and which casingis included in and forms a part of the water passage or conduit throughwhich the cooling liquid passes from the engine to the upper liquidchamber 8 of the radiator, and then downward through the cellularstructure thereof and to the lower water chamber.

The hollow fitting within which the valve 11 is located is provided witha supporting disk 14 located to one side of and formed preferably as anintegral part thereof, and a separable cap member 15 is detachablysecured to said disc as by means of screws 16 spaced about the peripherythereof. Located within the chamber 17 provided by the cup 15 is athermostat 18 shown as comprising two strips of metal having unequalcoefiicients of expansion and which thermostat is shown as made in theform of a'spiral, the inner end of said thermostat being operativelyconnected with the shaft 12 which carries the throttle valve, as shownat 19, while'the outer end thereof is secured to apin 20 carried by thedisc 14: above referred to. A suitable gasket 21 is commonly providedbetween the cover 15 and the disc 14 to thereby make the chamber 17 awater tight chamber, and the cooling liquid whereby the cooling of theengine is accomplished flows into and out from this chamber throughholes 22 leading from the interior of the'conduit through which saidliquid flows into the said chamber; from which it follows that thethermostat within the chamber in question is surrounded by liquid ofsubstantially the same temperature as that of the liquid flowing throughthe conduit in which the throttle valve 11 is located.

The oscillating shaft 19, see Figure 3, is offset somewhat from the axisof the conduit 10 through which the cooling liquid flows, sothat agreater area of the butterfly throttle valve 11 lies above the saidshaft than below the same and, the flow of cooling liquid being towardthe right and the arrangement of the parts being as shown in saidfigure, it follows that the pressure due to the stream of cooling liquidestablished by the cooling liquid circulating pump 5 tends to open thesaid valve which opening movement, however, is opposed by thethermostat; the unbalanced part of the force due to the stream ofcooling liquid and the thermostat 18 regarded merely as a restraining oropposing element or force acting in opposition to one another. lhangesin temperature which necessitate a more free flow of cooling liquid,then, will reduce the opposing force due to thethermostat and permit thepredominating and unbalanced force of the stream of cooling liquid toopen the valve, whereas temperature changes which require a reduction ofthe velocity of flow in the system act to close the throttle valveagainst the force of the stream; thus providing a controlling devicewhich is quickly and effectively responsive to temperature changes, andone in which a cheap and exceedingly simple form of thermostatic elementmay be employed.

In view of the premises it will be appreciated that the position of thethrottle valve 11 willbc controlled by the thermostat 18. and that thethrottling action of the said valve will be dependent upon thetemperature within the chamber 17 within which the said thermostat islocated. The adjustment and arrangement of the parts will be such that arise in temperature of the cooling liquid flowing through the coolingsystem will be accompanled by an opening of the valve 11, thus reducingthe throttling action and permitting a more free flow of cooling liquidthrough the radiator with a resulting lowering of the temperaturethereof; as the temperature of the cooling liquid is obviously dependentupon the rapidity of the flow thereof through the radiator of thesystem, and the rapidity at which the heat of the said liquid isdissipated by the radiator and communicated to the air which is causedto flow through the cellular structure thereof. On the other hand a fallof temperature in the cooling liquid will be' accompanied by a closingmovement of the throttle valve, thus reducing the rate of flowthroughout the cooling system and producing a rise of temperature in thecooling liquid because the heat imparted thereto by the engine is notdissipated so rapidly at the radiator. The action of the system as awhole will therefore be to regulate the flow of cooling liquid in such amanner as to secure a substantially uniform temperature thereof. thusavoiding both over-heating of the engine as well as excessive coolingthereof, and securing the operation of the engine under predeterminedtemperature conditions such that maximum efiiciency of the power plantmay be secured.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines and incombination with anengine to be cooled, a radiator for effecting thecooling of the liquid whereby the engine is cooled, and conduitsconnecting the upper and lower ends of the radiator with the engine andthrough which conduits a circulation of cooling liquid is maintainedbetween the engine and the radiator: an oscillating shaft supported inhearings in the wall of the upper of said conduits and one end of whichshaft extends into a chamber which is in open communication with theinterior of said conduit, so that a portion of the cooling liquidflowing in the system may flow through said chamber; a valve carried bysaid oscillating shaft and located within said upper conduit forcontrolling the How of cooling liquid therethrough; and a thermostatlocated within the said chamber and operatively connected with saidvalve. 2. In a cooling system for internal compassage, and through whichdisc one end of 7 said shaft extends; a valve carried by said shaft andlocated withm the passage aforesaid;' a cover plate secured to said discto thereby. provide an enclosed chamber; holes provided in said disc andleading into said chamber to thereby permit cooling liquid to flow intoand out from said chamber; and a thermostat formed from strips of metalhaving unequal coeflicients of expansion located within said chamber,one end of said thermostat being secured to a fixed abutment and theother end thereof being secured to the end of the oscillating shaftaforesaid.

3. In a cooling system for internal com bustion engines and incombination with an engine to be cooled, a radiator for effecting thecooling of the liquid whereby the engine is cooled, and conduitsconnecting the upper and lower ends of the radiator with the engine andthrough which a circulation of cooling liquid is maintained between theengine and the radiator; an oscillating shaft supported in bearings inthe wall of the upper of said conduits and one end of which shaftextends outward from said conduit, the axis of said shaft being ofi-setrelative to the axis of the conduit through which it extends; a valvecarried by said oscillating shaft and located within said upper conduitfor controlling the flow of cooli liquid therethrough; and a thermostatlocated outside said conduit and o eratively connected with theextending en of said oscillating shaft to thereby control the positionof said valve.

4. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines and incombination with an engine to be cooled, a radiator for efiecting end ofwhich extends through said wall and into a chamber which is partitionedoff from but which is in open communication with the interior of saidconduit so that a portion of the cooling liquid may flow through saidchamber, and the axis of which shaft is 0&-

set relative to the axis of the conduit whereby it is supported; a valvecarried by said oscillating shaft and located within said upper conduitfor controlling the flow of cooling liquid therethrough; and athermostat comprising two strips of metal having unequal coefficients ofexpansion and shaped in the form of a spiral, the inner end of saidthermostat being operatively connected with said oscillating shaft andthe other end thereof being secured to a fixed abutment.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

. FRED-E. ASELTINE.

